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Michigan basketball looking to add additional home-and-home with high-major program to 2014-15 schedule

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Michigan coach John Beilein looks over paperwork in the team locker room before an NCAA tournament open practice at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee on March 19, 2014.
(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan's premier non-conference game on the 2014-15 schedule will take the Wolverines to the desert.

John Beilein is hoping to add an equally enticing non-league game and play it in the comforts of home.

The Michigan coach said Wednesday that he's attempting to agree to a home-and-home contract with another high-major program to add to U-M's 2014-15 slate. Part of the agreement would include the opponent playing the first year of the series at Crisler Center.

"Yeah, we would like one more game," Beilein said. "Ideally, you'd like to have two great home games and two great away games and they never go away, but it's really hard to do."

The additional notable home game is expected to come in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Having played three of its last four Challenge games on the road (at Duke, at Virginia, at Clemson), U-M is likely to host a game next season.

As for life on the road, Michigan is currently booked to complete the back-end of a home-and-home deal with Arizona in 2014-15. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 1 in the country for eight weeks last season, will host the Wolverines on Dec. 13, 2014 in Tucson.

Like Michigan, Arizona is awaiting word on which of its early entry NBA prospects are staying and leaving. Coach Sean Miller's team finished 35-5, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and lost to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight.

"I don't know what their attrition will be like, but it will be a really great basketball game," Beilein said of Arizona.

Michigan will be joined in the Legends Classic by fellow NCAA tournament participants Oregon, Villanova and VCU. All four will host two on-campus games before traveling to Brooklyn for the predetermined semifinals on Nov. 24-25 at the Barclays Center.

U-M's two-game regional round will be played between Nov. 16-20 at Crisler Center. Those opponents will be announced on a later date.

"We'll play four games and it will be a high-level tournament with really good teams," Beilein said.

As for adding that additional home game against a willing high-major next year, Beilein said the challenge is more than logistics.

"The day of calling up another high-major and saying, 'Hey, let's go home-and-home,' (is over)," Beilein said. "It's really hard to do because there aren't too many people that can afford to leave their place, if they're packing that place, and give up that payday."

The remainder of U-M's 2014-15 non-conference schedule is expected to be fleshed out with "guarantee games," contracted contests against low-major programs. Michigan paid out $449,500 for five guarantee games last season and notched home wins over UMass Lowell, South Carolina State, Coppin State, Houston Baptist and Holy Cross.

"I thought our schedule last year turned out to be very difficult and very challenging and appropriate for what we needed," Beilein said of U-M's overall schedule. "I think this one (in 2014-15) will be even more challenging."

Beilein also confirmed on Wednesday that Michigan will take a preseason international trip. He said U-M will play "four or five games" over 10 days in late August, but added, "We don't have all the particulars down."

The Wolverines last went in 2010, playing in Belgium and Amsterdam, while making a pit stop in Paris.

As for Big Ten play next season, Michigan will play home and away contests with Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State and Rutgers; will host Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin; and will travel to Indiana, Maryland, Penn State and Purdue.

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball and football. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com